1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to display mounting systems and, more particularly, to a universal mounting system for a flat panel display.
2. Description of the Related Art
Flat panel displays, such as televisions and computer monitors, may be formed using many technologies. Currently, Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) and plasma displays are mass marketed as flat panel displays, although other flat panel display technologies also exist and may be developed over time.
Flat panel displays may be supported on desk stands, wall mounts, pole mounts, or may be supported in numerous other ways. For example, the displays may be mounted individually or in groups on a horizontal surface such as a desk, table, floor or ceiling, or may be mounted on a vertical surface such as a wall, cubicle, or other enclosure. Depending on the type of support system, the displays may be free standing or may be more directly connected to another surface such as a wall, ceiling, or other structure.
To enable the same flat panel display to be supported in many different ways, and to enable a given flat panel display to be supportable by many different mounting systems marketed by different manufacturers, the placement of connection locations on the back surface of flat panel displays has been specified in a standard. Specifically, the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) has specified the location where connection holes should be provided on the back of flat panel displays so that, as long as the support systems and flat panel displays conform to the VESA standard, any manufacturer's support system should be able to support any other manufacturer's flat panel display.
The VESA standard provides that particular connection hole placements should be used for particular ranges of flat panel display sizes, as measured on the diagonal. Specifically, the VESA Flat Display Mounting Interface Standard, Version 1, Oct. 28, 2002, (VESA-2002-10) specifies individual categories for flat panel displays based on the diagonal dimension of the display. The categories include 4 inch to 7.9 inch diagonal flat displays, 8 inch to 11.9 inch diagonal flat panel displays, 12 inch to 22.9 inch diagonal flat panel displays, 23 inch to 30.9 inch diagonal flat panel displays, and 31 inch to 90 inch diagonal flat panel displays.
Since different hole placements are specified for each of these categories, a mounting system designed to fit to a particular size category may not be used to support a flat panel display in another size category, unless the mounting system is sized for the larger screen size, and contains more than one set of mounting holes. Additionally, not all flat panel display manufacturers conform to the VESA standard. Accordingly, it would still be advantageous to provide a new system that can support flat panels displays in two or more VESA size categories and/or that can support flat panel displays that do not conform to the VESA standard.